Medford Will Officially Dedicate Hormel Stadium Track Next Month

MEDFORD, MA — Details emerged this week about the City of Medford's plans to name the track at Hormel Stadium after running legend Dave McGillivray.

On Tuesday, Medford officials announced that the dedication will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 22, during the first night of Run Medford. It was at last year's Run Medford that Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced that the Hormel Stadium track would be named for McGillivray.

At last year's event, Lungo-Koehn presented McGillivray, a 1972 Medford High graduate, with the plaque designed to be installed at the track.

McGillivray, an entrepreneur, philanthropist, motivational speaker, author and athlete, is the longtime race director — now course director — of the Boston Marathon. His Dave McGillivray Finish Strong Foundation hosts many races, including Run Medford.

"Run Medford is our city's biggest race event and has had a huge positive impact on local business, nonprofits and residents," Lungo-Koehn said this week. "This community-wide event would not have been possible without the support of Dave and the Finish Strong Foundation, so we are excited to honor his work with a dedication at the Hormel Stadium track."

Speaking last year after Lungo-Koehn announced the city's plans for the Hormel Stadium track dedication, McGillivray recalled competing on the track as a teenager.

"I am speechless about this kind gesture on behalf of the City of Medford," McGillivray said. "As a young teenage boy running the mile and 2-mile on that track for Medford High School, I would never have imagined that someday the city would name the track after me. I am so grateful and I can't begin to tell you how special this is to me.”

A few years after leaving Medford High, McGillivray once again combined Medford and running when, in 1978, he somewhat famously ran from Medford, Oregon to Medford, Massachusetts in support of the Jimmy Fund.